Same mix for U.S. freight traffic, AAR reports

U.S. freight traffic for the week ending Feb. 23, 2013 remained mixed, the Association of American Railroads said Thursday. U.S. freight carload traffic slipped 1.2% measured against the comparable week in 2012, counterbalanced by a 4.1% gain in U.S. intermodal volume during the week compared to last year.

AAR noted total U.S. traffic for the week, at 516,142 carloads and intermodal units, was up 4.1% compared with the same week last year. Total U.S. traffic for the first eight weeks of 2013 was up 0.6% from last year, AAR said.

Four of the 10 carload commodity groups AAR measures posted increases compared with the same week in 2012, led by petroleum products, up 66.4%. Commodities showing a decrease included grain, down 17.3%, and metallic ores and metals, down 10%.

Canadian freight carload volume for the week ending Feb. 23 was up 1.3%, while Canadian intermodal volume advanced 12.6%. Mexican freight carload volume also rose strongly, up 12.4% compared with last year, while Mexican intermodal did likewise, up 12.3%.

Combined North American freight carload volume for the eight weeks of 2013 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads was down 2.8% measured against the comparable period in 2012. Combined North American intermodal volume was up 6.8% compared with last year.